Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest, with a Few Observations, by J. Frank Dobie
By "literature of the Southwest" I mean writings that interpret the
region, whether they have been produced by the Southwest or not. Many of
them have not. What we are interested in is life in the Southwest, and
any interpreter of that life, foreign or domestic, ancient or modern, is
of value.
The term Southwest is variable because the boundaries of the Southwest
are themselves fluid, expanding and contracting according to the point
of view from which the Southwest is viewed and according to whatever
common denominator is taken for defining it. The Spanish Southwest
includes California, but California regards itself as more closely akin
to the Pacific Northwest than to Texas; California is Southwest more in
an antiquarian way than other-wise. From the point of view of the most
picturesque and imagination-influencing occupation of the Southwest,
the occupation of ranching, the Southwest might be said to run up into
Montana. Certainly one will have to go up the trail to Montana to finish
out the story of the Texas cowboy. Early in the nineteenth century the
Southwest meant Tennessee, Georgia, and other frontier territory now
regarded as strictly South. The men and women who "redeemed Texas from
the wilderness" came principally from that region. The code of conduct
they gave Texas was largely the code of the booming West. Considering
the character of the Anglo-American people who took over the Southwest,
the region is closer to Missouri than to Kansas, which is not Southwest
in any sense but which has had a strong influence on Oklahoma. Chihuahua
is more southwestern than large parts of Oklahoma. In Our Southwest,
Erna Fergusson has a whole chapter on "What is the Southwest?" She finds
Fort Worth to be in the Southwest but Dallas, thirty miles east, to be
facing north and east. The principal areas of the Southwest are, to have
done with air-minded reservations, Arizona, New Mexico, most of Texas,
some of Oklahoma, and anything else north, south, east, or west that
anybody wants to bring in. The boundaries of cultures and rainfall never
follow survey lines. In talking about the Southwest I naturally incline
to emphasize the Texas part of it.
Life is fluid, and definitions that would apprehend it must also be. Yet
I will venture one definition--not the only one--of an educated person.
An educated person is one who can view with interest and intelligence
the phenomena of life about him. Like people elsewhere, the people of
the Southwest find the features of the land on which they live blank or
full of pictures according to the amount of interest and intelligence
with which they view the features. Intelligence cannot be acquired, but
interest can; and data for interest and intelligence to act upon are
entirely acquirable.
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of J. Frank Dobie’s Excerpt from Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest
J. Frank Dobie (1888–1964) was a folklorist, writer, and champion of Southwestern American culture, best known for his works on cowboy life, Mexican-American traditions, and the oral histories of Texas and the broader Southwest. His writing often blended scholarship, personal anecdote, and a deep appreciation for the land and its people. This excerpt from Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest (1943) serves as both a definition of Southwestern literature and a meditation on regional identity, cultural fluidity, and the nature of education.
1. Defining "Literature of the Southwest"
Dobie begins by broadening the scope of what constitutes "Southwestern literature." He argues that it is not limited to works produced in the Southwest but includes any writing that interprets the region—regardless of the author’s origin or era.
- Key Idea: The value of literature lies in its ability to illuminate Southwestern life, not in its geographical or temporal origins.
- Implication: This inclusive definition allows for a diverse canon—Spanish chronicles, Anglo-American frontier narratives, Mexican corridos, and even outsiders’ observations (e.g., travelers’ accounts) all qualify if they engage meaningfully with the region.
- Literary Device: Metonymy—Dobie uses "life in the Southwest" to stand in for the broader cultural, historical, and environmental experiences that literature can capture.
2. The Fluid Boundaries of the Southwest
Dobie rejects fixed geographical definitions of the Southwest, emphasizing instead its cultural, historical, and imaginative dimensions. His discussion reveals how the region’s identity shifts depending on perspective:
Historical Shifts:
- Early 19th century: The "Southwest" included Tennessee and Georgia (frontier territories later absorbed into the "South").
- Spanish colonial era: California was part of the Southwest, but by Dobie’s time, it aligned more with the Pacific Northwest.
- Ranching culture: The Southwest’s influence extends north to Montana (following cattle trails like the Chisholm Trail).
Cultural Affinities:
- Texas is more aligned with Missouri (due to shared Anglo-American settlement patterns) than with Kansas.
- Chihuahua (Mexico) is "more southwestern" than parts of Oklahoma, which Dobie suggests is influenced by Kansas (a non-Southwestern state).
- Erna Fergusson’s Our Southwest (1940) humorously draws a line between Fort Worth (Southwest) and Dallas (oriented north/east), highlighting how urban identity can diverge from regional culture.
Literary Devices:
- Paradox: The Southwest is both a place and an idea—its boundaries are "fluid" yet deeply felt.
- Irony: Survey lines (political borders) fail to capture cultural realities (e.g., rainfall patterns, ranching routes).
- Anecdote: Dobie’s reference to Fergusson’s book grounds his argument in a concrete example, making his abstract point tangible.
Significance: Dobie’s fluid definition reflects the hybridity of Southwestern identity—shaped by Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, Anglo, and African American influences. His approach anticipates later discussions of "borderlands" (e.g., Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera), where cultural identities are dynamic and contested.
3. Life, Education, and Perception
Dobie transitions from geography to philosophy, linking the Southwest’s fluidity to a broader meditation on how people engage with their surroundings:
Central Claim: "Life is fluid, and definitions that would apprehend it must also be."
- Echoes Heraclitus’ idea that "no man steps in the same river twice"—reality is always in motion, and rigid definitions fail to capture it.
- Applies to both the Southwest (a region resistant to fixed borders) and to human perception (how we interpret the world).
Definition of an Educated Person:
- Dobie proposes that education is not about memorizing facts ("intelligence cannot be acquired") but about cultivating interest and the ability to engage thoughtfully with one’s environment.
- Key Metaphor: The land is a "blank" canvas or a "picture" depending on the viewer’s perspective. This recalls:
- Romanticism (e.g., Wordsworth’s idea that nature’s beauty depends on the observer’s sensibility).
- Pragmatism (e.g., John Dewey’s emphasis on experiential learning).
Literary Devices:
- Antithesis: "Blank or full of pictures" contrasts passive and active ways of seeing.
- Chiasmus: "Interest can [be acquired]; intelligence cannot" creates a rhetorical balance.
- Allusion: The idea that "data for interest and intelligence to act upon are entirely acquirable" aligns with Enlightenment ideals of self-improvement but with a Southwestern twist—knowledge is tied to lived experience, not just books.
Significance:
- Dobie democratizes education. One doesn’t need formal schooling to be "educated"—just curiosity and engagement with the world.
- This reflects his own background as a folklorist who valued oral traditions and local wisdom over academic elitism.
4. Dobie’s Texas-Centric Perspective
While Dobie advocates for a broad Southwest, he admits a Texas bias:
- "I naturally incline to emphasize the Texas part of it."
- This reflects his personal and professional focus (e.g., his books The Longhorns and Tales of Old-Time Texas).
- Irony: Even as he resists fixed boundaries, he centers Texas, revealing how regional pride shapes his "fluid" definition.
5. Themes in the Excerpt
Regional Identity as Construction:
- The Southwest is not a fixed place but a cultural imagination, shaped by history, economics (ranching), and migration.
- Challenges the idea of rigid borders (literally and metaphorically).
The Role of Literature:
- Literature is a tool for interpreting life, not just documenting it. Dobie values works that capture the spirit of a place, not just its facts.
Education as Engagement:
- True learning comes from observation and interest, not rote memorization.
- Aligns with progressive education theories (e.g., Dewey) but roots them in Southwestern pragmatism.
Hybridity and Movement:
- The Southwest’s identity is shaped by migration (e.g., Southern settlers in Texas, Mexican vaqueros influencing cowboy culture).
- Anticipates later discussions of transnationalism and border culture.
6. Literary and Historical Context
- Folklore Revival: Dobie was part of a movement (alongside figures like John Lomax and Zora Neale Hurston) that sought to preserve oral traditions as legitimate literature.
- Regionalism vs. Modernism: While modernists like Faulkner explored the South’s psychological depths, Dobie focused on the Southwest’s mythic and practical dimensions—cowboys, outlaws, and tall tales.
- Post-WWII America: The excerpt (1943) reflects a moment when American regional identities were being redefined amid national consolidation. Dobie’s work counters the homogenizing effects of mass culture by celebrating local distinctiveness.
7. Why This Excerpt Matters
- Cultural Preservation: Dobie’s inclusive definition of Southwestern literature helps validate marginalized voices (Mexican, Indigenous, working-class) as part of the region’s canon.
- Environmental Ethics: His emphasis on seeing the land with interest foreshadows ecocritical ideas—appreciating nature as more than a resource.
- Pedagogical Influence: His view of education as active engagement remains relevant in debates about experiential learning.
Conclusion: Dobie’s Southwest as a Way of Seeing
Dobie’s excerpt is less about pinning down the Southwest than about how we choose to see it. The region’s fluidity mirrors the fluidity of life itself, and literature—like education—is a means of making meaning from that flux. His writing blends scholarship, storytelling, and philosophy, embodying the very qualities he admires: curiosity, openness, and a deep connection to place.
In an era of rigid nationalisms and cultural divisions, Dobie’s vision of the Southwest as a permeable, imaginative space offers a model for understanding identity—not as fixed, but as a living, evolving narrative.
Questions
Question 1
The passage’s treatment of the Southwest’s boundaries most closely aligns with which of the following conceptual frameworks?
A. A postmodern rejection of all categorisation, where regional identity is an arbitrary social construct with no grounding in material reality.
B. A positivist insistence on empirical demarcation, where cultural regions must be defined by measurable criteria such as rainfall patterns or census data.
C. A nationalist argument for territorial expansion, where the Southwest’s fluidity justifies political annexation of adjacent regions.
D. A phenomenological approach, where the Southwest’s essence emerges from the lived experiences and perceptual frameworks of those who engage with it.
E. A structuralist model, where the Southwest’s identity is fixed by binary oppositions (e.g., urban/rural, Spanish/Anglo) that define its limits.
Question 2
When Dobie states that “intelligence cannot be acquired, but interest can,” he is primarily advancing which of the following claims about education?
A. Cognitive capacity is innate and immutable, rendering formal education ineffective for those lacking inherent intellectual gifts.
B. Pedagogical systems should prioritise vocational training over liberal arts, as practical skills are more acquirable than abstract reasoning.
C. The purpose of education is to instil discipline, as interest without structured learning inevitably leads to superficial engagement.
D. Literary interpretation is the sole domain of the naturally intelligent, while others must rely on secondary sources to access cultural meaning.
E. Education is fundamentally an exercise in cultivating attention, whereby the learner’s engagement with the world transforms seemingly mundane phenomena into objects of significance.
Question 3
The passage’s discussion of Fort Worth and Dallas (“Fort Worth to be in the Southwest but Dallas, thirty miles east, to be facing north and east”) serves primarily to:
A. illustrate the arbitrary nature of municipal governance, where city limits are drawn without regard for cultural cohesion.
B. critique urbanisation as a force that erodes regional identity, positioning Dallas as a cautionary example of deracination.
C. propose a strict east-west divide in Texas, where the 98th meridian serves as the definitive boundary between Southwestern and non-Southwestern cultures.
D. underscore the subjectivity of regional affiliation, where proximity alone does not determine cultural alignment, and identity is performatively enacted.
E. advocate for a political realignment, wherein cities like Dallas should be administratively separated from the Southwest to preserve its authenticity.
Question 4
Which of the following hypothetical literary works would Dobie be LEAST likely to include in his canon of “literature of the Southwest,” based on the principles outlined in the passage?
A. A meticulously researched but emotionally detached geological survey of the Chihuahuan Desert, written by a German scientist who never visited the region.
B. A collection of oral histories from Black cowboys in Oklahoma, compiled by a New York-based folklorist in the 1930s.
C. A novel by a fourth-generation Texan that reimagines the Alamo through the perspective of a Tejano soldier, blending historical record with myth.
D. A memoir by a Navajo code talker, reflecting on how his upbringing in Arizona shaped his experiences in World War II.
E. A series of letters between a Montana rancher and a Texas cattle driver, documenting their shared struggles during the Great Depression.
Question 5
The passage’s closing argument—that “the people of the Southwest find the features of the land on which they live blank or full of pictures according to the amount of interest and intelligence with which they view the features”—is most analogous to which of the following philosophical positions?
A. Kant’s theory of the sublime, wherein the observer’s cognitive faculties shape the aesthetic experience of natural phenomena.
B. Marx’s concept of false consciousness, where ideological distortions prevent the proletariat from perceiving their true material conditions.
C. Plato’s allegory of the cave, in which uneducated individuals mistake shadows for reality until enlightened by philosophical training.
D. Nietzsche’s perspectivism, which denies the possibility of objective truth and reduces all knowledge to subjective interpretation.
E. Locke’s tabula rasa, where the mind is a blank slate passively imprinted by sensory experience without active engagement.
Solutions and Explanations
1) Correct answer: D
Why D is most correct: The passage emphasises that the Southwest’s boundaries are not fixed by objective metrics but emerge from how people perceive and interact with the region. Dobie’s references to ranching trails, cultural affinities (e.g., Chihuahua vs. Oklahoma), and personal inclinations (e.g., his Texas bias) all point to a phenomenological framework, where reality is constituted through lived experience and subjective engagement. This aligns with philosophers like Husserl and Merleau-Ponty, who argue that meaning arises from conscious interaction with the world.
Why the distractors are less supported:
- A: Dobie does not reject categorisation entirely; he simply argues for flexible, experience-based definitions. The Southwest does have grounding in material reality (e.g., ranching practices, rainfall patterns), even if its borders are fluid.
- B: Dobie explicitly critiques rigid empirical demarcations (e.g., survey lines) as inadequate for capturing cultural realities. His argument is anti-positivist.
- C: There is no nationalist or expansionist agenda. Dobie’s fluidity is descriptive, not prescriptive; he is not advocating for political annexation.
- E: Dobie rejects binary oppositions. His Southwest is defined by gradations and overlaps, not structuralist either/or distinctions.
2) Correct answer: E
Why E is most correct: Dobie’s distinction between “intelligence” (innate capacity) and “interest” (cultivable engagement) centres on the idea that education is about how one attends to the world. His claim that the land appears “blank or full of pictures” depending on the viewer’s interest aligns with a pragmatist-deweyan view of education as active, transformative perception. The "educated person" is one who can find significance in the ordinary through sustained attention—a process of making the familiar strange and the mundane meaningful.
Why the distractors are less supported:
- A: Dobie does not dismiss formal education or suggest intelligence is wholly innate. He argues that interest (a learnable skill) can compensate for limitations in raw intellect.
- B: The passage does not prioritise vocational training or oppose liberal arts. Dobie’s focus is on perceptual engagement, not skill acquisition.
- C: Dobie critiques discipline without interest, not the other way around. His model is anti-authoritarian, valuing curiosity over rote structure.
- D: Dobie democratises literary interpretation. He implies that anyone can develop the interest to engage meaningfully with culture, not just the "naturally intelligent."
3) Correct answer: D
Why D is most correct: The Fort Worth/Dallas example illustrates that geographical proximity does not dictate cultural identity. Dobie cites Erna Fergusson’s subjective judgment to show that regional affiliation is performative and contextual—a matter of orientation (e.g., Dallas “facing north and east”) rather than fixed location. This aligns with theories of performativity (e.g., Butler’s gender theory) and imagined communities (Anderson), where identity is enacted through repeated practices and self-conceptions.
Why the distractors are less supported:
- A: Dobie is not critiquing municipal governance. The example is about cultural boundaries, not administrative ones.
- B: While urbanisation is implied, the focus is on cultural orientation, not erosion. Dallas’s “north/east” facing is a choice, not an inevitable outcome of urbanisation.
- C: Dobie explicitly rejects rigid divides like the 98th meridian. His point is that boundaries are not definitive.
- E: There is no political call to action. Dobie describes cultural fluidity, not administrative realignment.
4) Correct answer: A
Why A is most correct: Dobie’s definition of Southwestern literature hinges on interpretation—works that engage with the region’s life, not just its facts. A “emotionally detached geological survey” by an outsider who never visited the region fails on two counts:
- Lack of lived engagement: Dobie values writers who have a perceptual or experiential connection to the Southwest (even if they’re outsiders, like Fergusson).
- No interpretive depth: The survey is “meticulously researched” but “detached,” meaning it does not interpret the land in a way that reveals its cultural or human significance.
Why the distractors are less supported:
- B: Oral histories of Black cowboys, even compiled by an outsider, interpret Southwestern life and centre marginalised voices—exactly what Dobie values.
- C: A Tejano perspective on the Alamo blends history and myth, offering a culturally grounded interpretation.
- D: A Navajo code talker’s memoir ties personal experience to the land (Arizona) and broader historical forces—embodied interpretation.
- E: The rancher-cattle driver correspondence documents shared cultural practices (ranching) across state lines, aligning with Dobie’s fluid, experience-based definition.
5) Correct answer: A
Why A is most correct: Dobie’s argument that the land appears “blank or full of pictures” depending on the viewer’s “interest and intelligence” parallels Kant’s theory of the sublime, wherein the observer’s cognitive faculties (imagination, reason) shape the aesthetic experience of nature. For Kant, a mountain is not sublime in itself; it becomes sublime through the mind’s engagement with it. Similarly, Dobie’s Southwest is not inherently meaningful—its significance emerges through the active perception of those who inhabit or study it.
Why the distractors are less supported:
- B: Marx’s false consciousness involves ideological distortion, not perceptual engagement. Dobie is not discussing class struggle or material conditions.
- C: Plato’s cave allegory is about illusion vs. truth, whereas Dobie’s focus is on degrees of engagement with reality, not a binary of ignorance/enlightenment.
- D: Nietzsche’s perspectivism denies objective truth entirely, but Dobie implies that deeper engagement (interest + intelligence) reveals more meaning, not that all interpretations are equally valid.
- E: Locke’s tabula rasa is passive (the mind is shaped by experience), but Dobie emphasises active cultivation of interest—the mind is not a blank slate but a dynamic interpreter.